Preview: Lions vs Sharks

27 Sep 2013

Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies is tackled by the Sharks

The Golden Lions and Sharks will go into their Currie Cup clash at Ellis Park on Friday full of confidence.

Both sides registered impressive wins last weekend with the Lions beating the Bulls 35-26 in Joburg and the Sharks crushing the Cheetahs 50-26 in Durban. That left the Sharks in top spot on the Currie Cup log, ahead of WP on points difference, with the third-placed Lions four points behind.

The last time these sides faced each other the Sharks won 33-25 at Kings Park, but apart from being out for revenge, Lions coach Johan Ackermann knows a victory could help clinch a home semi-final for his team.

'We know this competition isn't easy and we want to stay in the top four,' he said. 'A win on Friday could see us advance even higher on the log, but the Sharks would want to hold on to their place, so it is going to be a tough and interesting game.'

Ackermann has made two changes for this match, with Chris van Zyl starting at No 4 lock and Warren Whiteley back at No 8 having recovered from a hip injury.

Sharks forwards coach Brad Macleod-Henderson says his charges are determined to claim a home semi-final berth, but cannot afford to be distracted by their position on the table.

'We want to have a home semi and if all goes well, a home final, but we've said all along, the process and the performance is what we're really looking at,' he said. 'We played a fantastic game on Saturday [against the Cheetahs], but there are still areas we need to improve on. We'll have to play as well, if not better, this Friday against the Lions if we want to get the right result.'

The Sharks have also made two changes with U21 lock Stephan Lewies set to make his Currie Cup debut and Justin Downey coming in at openside flank.